The Digital City: the Coryphaeus of Change or a Vanity Fair?

Abstract
The digitalization of our lives has brought a number of changes visible in material and virtual realm, introducing some new rules and frameworks of our existence. The latest technological trends gradually pervade urban landscapes and networks, creating a number of new typologies and behavioural patterns which mould our perception and experiences, reflecting in emerging spaces, habits and flows. Simultaneously, we are exposed to an increasing number of stimulations and fears which are generated by the global instability and multiplying choices and challenges. Considering this sensitive situation and the important role which cities have in the contemporary world, the lecture will focus on the main aspects of the synergy between urban spaces and digital flows, questioning their impact on society and architecture. The emphasis will be on four key-issues of architectural and planning practice - environmental balance, general efficiency, behavioural modifications and spatial excellence.

Biography
Dr Aleksandra Stupar, Associate Professor University of Belgrade, Faculty of Architecture, Belgrade, Serbia. Her research interest are technological, political and cultural aspects of contemporary urban transformations. She is the author of the award-winning book The City of Globalization – Challenges, Transformations, Symbols (2009) and the winner of the Gerd Albers Award 2008, given by ISOCARP, for the best published article on urbanism. Aleksandra was a guest researcher at the Institute for Advanced Studies on Science, Technology and Society in Graz and the University of Tampere - School of Humanities and Social Sciences. In 2012 she was a guest-editor of a thematic issue of the Serbian Architectural Journal (SAJ) entitled City vs. Innovation. Currently also in charge for editing the track ‘City and Society’ of the lecture series ‘Architecture-Utopia-Realism’ at the University of Belgrade - Faculty of Architecture.